25th Mar 2009

TCB Centre

Do you have creative business ideas? Have you seen something that you could turn into your own business venture? How did all those successful businesses out there start? Was it purely by chance or a long labour of love?

What does it take to be a success in a crowded market place? How do you motivate yourself to make the leap from job security? What are the thrills and spills you can expect along the way?

Join us for an unique insight into three entrepreneurs as they discuss how they started, where they faulted and how they have turned their entrepreneurial dreams into successful business endeavours.

Post-Event Information

Panellists

Chris McCallum, Head Designer & Owner, Vein Wear

Joshua Scacheri, Designer & Owner, SUBFUSCO

Kristin Devitt, Director, KDPR (Kristin Devitt Public Relations)

Who will benefit from attending?

This interactive, panel discussion event will benefit any entrepreneur and new or existing business owner. This is for anyone who wants to be inspired by their struggles and triumphs to get where they are now.

1 x Your choice of a makeup colour consultation or special event makeup application with freelance makeup artist Gemma Elaine of Embellished Makeup Artistry. Have all your answers questioned about what colours, products are for you or what techniques are best for application (valued at $200). Visit Gemma's blog for tips.

1 x Day trip to Tangalooma Island Resort and Desert Safari Tour for 2, valued at $130, courtesy of Tangalooma Island Resort (journey to the scenic Moreton Island Desert region as part of this thrilling 4WD tour and participate in the exhilarating sports of sand tobogganing with an added bonus of dolphin feeding)

TCB Centre

Situated between Brunswick Mall and Chinatown in Fortitude Valley, TCB is Brisbane’s hottest new urban shopping mecca. On Wednesday, 25th March, we will be taking over the Fashion Lane in TCB!

How often do you get to try on gorgeous threads from the hottest young designers – while chatting directly to the designers themselves? This unique experience that TCB offers is the reason that fashionistas are flocking to this edgy retail precinct.

TCB also has a variety of food and beverage outlets - so you can relax with a coffee or kick back with a cocktail after your busy shopping day.

Superfox Merchandise

MBE Stones Corner

Kristin Devitt

Kristin Devitt is the founder and Managing Director of KD Public Relations, a nationally renowned PR agency based in Brisbane’s Kelvin Grove Urban Village.

Kristin has nearly 20 years’ experience working in media and corporate public relations, and has built a practice with strong property, retail and fashion credentials.

The former Ten News presenter and reporter has an established network of media and corporate connections around Australia, and she is a specialist in making connections on behalf of individuals and organizations to help them grow profiles and profits.

Kristin is the co-founder and Director of Babes in Business, a networking organization for Brisbane’s top businesswomen. She also operates a media and presentation training business in partnership with Ten News presenter Bill McDonald and vocal coach Suzanne Stark.

Christopher McCallum

Head Designer & Owner, Vein Wear

Born in Brisbane, Australia on April 12th 1981 Christopher enjoyed a happy and successful childhood. Academicly blessed, he was the dux of his primary school and at the completion of high school was awarded an OP1 (which is the top grade given in the state of Queensland).

Enrolling at the University of Queensland proved a confusing time. Christopher found himself torn between pursuing a creative career or bowing to the pressures of expectation that dictated more serious vocations. He succumbed and started two degrees for Law and Commerce. He found however that most of his time was spent sketching shoes, clothing, automobiles and people. So in 2001 he dropped out of university and went in search of a career that nourished his interests and natural creative talents.

The search ended with footwear. Shoes appeared the most interesting, beautiful, useful and challenging of pursuits. Christopher set about building a design and manufacturing business that allowed him to produce unique shoes that flowed from his own ideas about male footwear. Most importantly he was free of design pressures from any other parties. He had no formal training and was free from any industry ingrown conceptions.

Fresh-faced and naive, Vein Wear was born with just three styles, all in black.

The brand grew organically and quickly with a stong local following. By the end of 2003 Christopher was designing and selling a full collection in many different colours. He had a solid swag of independent boutique stores stocking the label and just picked up a high end chain store with 25 outlets all over Australia. Things could not have been better.

That was when it all came crashing down. The large chain store went bust. Christopher had given them credit terms and the payment was not yet due. The directors of the company, now criminals, fled to India. The liquidators illegally seized and sold any remaining stock and Christopher did not have enough money left to sue them. So he was left with no stock and hundreds of thousands of dollars lost, never to be recovered.

Back to ground-zero, Christopher was faced with a decision. Accept defeat and fall back into Law or Commerce, or fight a possibly unwinnable battle in the footwear industry. He searched his soul and followed his heart to build the greatest Australian men's designer footwear label in the world. He consolidated his design range to a tight and directional collection that would form the blueprint for all collections to come. Customers still loved his designs and the brand had notched up some hard knocks experience. Vein Wear was grittier and more real.

In the three years since then Christopher has focussed on building relationships with key clothing designers and doing joint parades on the Australian fashion circuit. Clothing labels have worn Vein Wear shoes on the runways of Australian Fashion Week, Brisbane Fashion Week, Melbourne Fashion Festival, Australian Fashion Design Awards and Fashion Exposed Showcase to name a few. Runway collaborations have included Morrissey, Kenzo, Hugo Boss, Leopold, Trimapee, Red Cordial, Subfusco, Tommy Hilfiger, Sand, Herringbone, Diesel and Arthur Galan to name a few.

In early 2007 TCB proclaimed Vein Wear as the country's best designer footwear label and offered Christopher a free retail store in their shopping centre located in the trendy Fortitude Valley. The offer included free rent, free fit-out designed by Christopher and free outgoings. The benefits to TCB are aligning their retail districts with the Vein Wear brand. Christopher accepted the offer and began a new chapter in his fashion career... retail.

The Vein Store has since won Best Fashion Store 2008 in the Business Achiever Awards. The award is a consumer nominated and independently judged accolade that was well deserved by the dedicated staff at the Vein Store.

Joshua Scacheri

Born in Brisbane Australia from Italian heritage, Joshua Roberto Scacheri understands the approximation between Australian lifestyle comfort and the dynamics of Italian style.

At the age of 16, Joshua packed up his Australian life, bid his family goodbye and moved to Italy to pursue a career as a professional footballer. Six years later, he returned to Australia and swapped the boots for a sketch pad, fabricating the design, style and ethos now know as Subfusco.

SUBFUSCO, Latin for deviated colour embodies a signature male look with attainable European elegance. Key pieces are versatile and can be worn from day into night with confidence and presence.

Australian designed and made, detailed quality textiles combined with directional designs defines SUBFUSCO from other items in your wardrobe. Additions to this are tailored jackets, slim fit trousers, fitted dress shirts and unique denims. SUBFUSCO is to engage in ones own style and forward thinking. Inspiration breathes from all spheres of everyday life and people that make the creative mix of subcultures, alternative lifestyles and natural talents.

Josh has recently designed the new uniforms for Cloudland, check it here in Styleography.